I made the mistake and going back to YAHOO answers to ask a question and got well crap for answers. I put exactly everything I could say about the situation and asked my ?s.

here is my question.

My 6 yr ottb mare has suffered through ulcers basically her whole life. We had her on gastro guard did a herbal supplement for months. Well I kept her on a weight gain the farnams stuff. We even had her on a veg oil for a bit. While doing this she was stalled up for a good 3 months and only walked trot 2 3 days a week. Her feed was watered bc of the beet pulp. They have now changed over to dumor equi stages and she's off everything but the weight gain. I do feed her an alfalfa pellet grain mix myself but only 3x a week as extra she was getting it everyday but the stablehand has been out since his dad has just passed
. She's been going outside more to graze. But her ulcers are coming back.

so here is my ? Well ?s

I've heard wetting feed is good to do should I tell them to wet her feed? Oh and ground feeders will that make a difference?
Should they give her more hay than feed?
I received 3 samples of smart gut and u gard I plan to make an oral paste out of the smart gut do that for a week then skip a few days then do the u gard. Depending on which one I like is it safe to make the paste a few days prior? And have any of you ever used the product. U gard is cheap but the reviews are great.

I mainly trail ride her. The owner is talking about getting her back on gasto gard as well.
My plain is to make an oral paste out of the stuff I get for at least 2 weeks 3 times a week then have them put a scoop on her feed daily after that.

Oh and she can't be turned out with another horse well with many if it's one that's older something in that nature shes fine. We had her out in pasture her ulcers got worse that's why she was stalled up but no worries she's turned out 3 x a week for at least 4 hours. Or more.

The only reason she is turned out only 3 x is because im the one who turns her out. I want her out all the time but for now I cant. Im not the owner.

I only lease her from the owner. I can only suggest things and buy supplements for her.

Can you not convince the owner that being confined to a stall may be the cause of the ulcers? People see stalls as safe - horses see them as traps. Steel bars mean nothing to them as far as safety except that should that big predator show up there is no escape.

Can you not convince the owner that being confined to a stall may be the cause of the ulcers? People see stalls as safe - horses see them as traps. Steel bars mean nothing to them as far as safety except that should that big predator show up there is no escape.

That's the thing we have put her outside before but her ulcers flare up if she stays out too long. Eventually she will be out but for now I can only do so much. But she does get out to walk around I won't let her stay stalled up all the time.Posted via Mobile Device

Horses have delicate systems that were designed for constant pasture grazing, but modern horsekeeping can throw your horse's gastrointestinal tract off balance. High-grain diets combined with the stress of training and competition may leave your horse prone to ulcers, digestive problems and poor overall health. But if you build your horse's diet based on his individual needs, you can help bring him back into balance.

Throw hay, dump grain, turn the horses out. Do stalls, ride, bring the horses in and feed. Sound familiar? If you're like a lot of horse owners, it probobly does. What is doesn't sound like is the way our horses were designed to live. In fact, modern horsekeeping is just about the opposite of what Mother Nature had in mind.

Au Naturale

In their natural habitat, horses spend up to 20 hours a day roaming and grazing on a variety of forages. Their digestive systems have evolved to rely on a slow, steady intake of complex carbohydrates, like grasses. As a result, their stomachs constantly secrete gastric acid, whether they're eating or not.

As horses chew, they automatically produce saliva, which contains bicarbonates that act as a natural buffer against the acids in their stomach

Serving It Up

Managing a bording barn is no easy feat. Between blanket changes, turnout, lessons, medications, and being surrogate "mom" to a number of horses, your barn manager has a lot on their plate. That's why in most boarding barns, feeding programs are built for speed.

Every horse gest a couple of flakes of hay, give or take a flake for the ponies and the big guys. Grain is used as the main source of calories for energy and weight maintenance.

There are only so many hours in the day, and dollars in your wallet. Your barn staff is probobly doing things this way as much for your benefit as for their own. Only carrying one kind of grain, and not wasting hay are ways for them to work faster and save money, which help keep your board affordable.

So it is important to be realistic when balancing what you want for your horse with what is realistically feasible.

What's The Problem?

Unfortunately, the feeding program practices described above can lead to health problems for your horse.

Most commercial feeds are much higher in Omega 6 fatty acids than Omega 3 fatty acids. While both are essential in the diet, Omega 6's are generally considered pro-inflammatory, while Omega 3's support anti-infammatory reactions. Since horses were built to thrive on grasses, which are much richer in Omega 3's than 6's, high grain diets can result in a chronic pro-inflammatory state. This can result in added stress on cells throughout the body.

Feeding infrequent meals leaves your horse's stomach empty for long periods of time. Some barns spread meals out by adding a "lunch". This additional serving definately helps, but it's important to remember what is happening in your horse's stomach between meals.

With the constant secretion of gastric acid and no saliva to buffer it, an empty stomach is at high right for gastric ulcers. This painful condition can affect your horse's appetite and digestive function, leading to weight loss, and unthrifty appearance, decreased performance, a poor attitude and even colic.

Fianally, the equine hindgut was designed for continuous fermentation throughout the day. Fasting and then feasting can cause digestive upset, disrupting the delicate balance in the large intestine, which can result in a number of problems, including painful build-up of excess gas. The modern diet was not designed for your horse's optimum health.

What You Can Do

The good news is, you can help! Even if you're not able to completely overhaul the way you feed your horse, there are things you can do that will help keep him happier and healthier.

Where to Begin

The majority of every horse's diet should consist of roughage, like hay or fresh pasture. In fact, your horse should be eating 1-2% of his body weight in hay or other forage every day. For a 1,000lb horse, that is 10-20lbs daily! Ideally, your horse would have free choice, but if that's not possible, try to spread out his meals throughout the day.

While hay and fresh pasture are both forages, they are not created equal. Green grass contains valuable nutrients, like Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Vitamins A and E. However, after being cut, dried and stored, hay loses many of these important components. If your horse isn't able to graze on fresh pasture year round, consider supplimenting to help balance out what they are missing.

Filling The Gaps

If your barn feeds a fortified grain, as most boarding barns do, you may think that your horse is getting all of the vitamins and minerals he needs from his feed. However, in order tomeet his daily requirements, your horse needs to get the full feed ration noted on the label, but many horses simply don't need that many calories. Check your feed label to find out what serving size is recommended for your horse. If you're meeting or exceeding that amount, he doesn't need any additional vitamins or minerals.

However, if you're feeding less than that serving size, as is often the case, a vitamin/mineral supplement can be used to ensure he has the complete selection of nutrients he needs to stay healthy and performing at his peak.

Stress Factor

Part of what you love about owning a horse, are the fun and adventures you have riding and showing. But these activities are stressful on your horse's delicate system. Luckily, you don't hae to give them up! You can help safeguard your horse with supplements that help support a healthy digestive tract.

For a healthy hindgut, provide a supplement with ingredients that support the large intestine, like digestive enzymes, probiotics and prebiotics.

While you may not be able to start from scratch, you can make small changes that may make a big difference. Work with your barn manager/owner and your vet to
The Last Wordbuid the best possible program for your horse.

I have my guy out 24/7, with consistent and constant access to round bales. I have a TB gelding, who is a stressful guy when you change his daily routine *shows, hauling* so I have him on SmartGut Pellets which I have been very pleased with.

My vet was worried about my horse having ulcers. She recommended to me and several other clients that we get some Aloe Vera Juice (found it at Wal-Mart) in their feed. My horse didn't like it (but he didn't have ulcers either) but a lot of others I know have their horses on this routinely as a preventative. It is a little salty to the taste and they just mix it in the evening feed.

It's pretty tricky treating a horse for ulcers when you're not the owner, as lifestyle has a big impact on it.

Ideally, the horse would get as much turnout as possible, with hay always available, and a grain-free feed (such as a Ration Balancer). If the owner is willing to entertain your ideas on feed, you might suggest switching away from EquiStages; it contains both molasses and corn, which are not particularly good for horses whether they have ulcers or not.

A supplement like U-gard or SmartGut would also be a good idea, and I've also heard good things about aloe vera juice, slippery elm bark, and marshmallow root.

I've made a paste out of U-gard and aloe vera juice before, but my horse isn't a very picky eater and I'm not that good at administering paste, so it's easier for me to just put it in with his feed.

Whenever there is a stress-inducing event (i.e. a show) I increase the U-gard to the loading dose (two scoops) for a few days leading up to it until the day he comes back home.

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